Tag / Israel

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  • Straightforward: The Simplicity of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

    BY HENRY CLEMENTS The American media tend to portray the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as hugely complicated and mired in controversy.  The situation is deadlocked, we are told, and no one agrees on the components of a final settlement. In reality, beyond U.S. borders, there exists hardly any disagreement at all. Indeed, there is close to unanimous…

  • Israel’s New Political Rock Star

    Those who follow events in the Middle East, get to know the name Yair Lapid. While barely registering as a blip on the radars of most Americans, the elections in Israel this past Tuesday sent shock waves through the small Middle-Eastern country. The right-wing Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu party, headed by current Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, maintained its…

  • Number 194*

    Yesterday, thousands took to the streets of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Facebookistan to celebrate Palestine’s acceptance in the UN as a non-member state. Some of my friends on Facebook congratulated the people of Palestine on becoming the newest state. Perhaps the UN vote is the beginning of a new chapter, giving Palestine more leverage on the international…

  • A Cease-fire in Context

    Last week, Israel and Gaza reached a new ceasefire deal. That sort of sentence has appeared in print too many times to mean anything of substance. But, for the sake of being optimistic, let’s say for a second that this deal is different, and that it is a genuine step towards a lasting peace. The…

  • A Yellow License Plate

    Ever since last Wednesday, I have been asked multiple times, how, as a Jew, I can stand up for the Palestinians, who are firing rockets indiscriminately into Israeli sovereign territory. With much deliberation and a great deal of struggle, I have come to some conclusions. These views are based on my personal experience, and while…

  • An Open Letter to Taka Yamaguchi

    Note: This post in response to this article posted on the website discussing the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.   Dear Mr. Yamaguchi, I would like to respond to your open invitation to engage in what you correctly call “important discourse” regarding the situation faced by both Israelis and Palestinians. I apologize if you saw…

  • Broaching the Palestine Question: My Response to Gideon Palte

    In the first WUPR issue of this semester, 17.1, I wrote an anecdotal piece titled The Palestinian Right of Return: What Once Was. I did not intend to primarily base my writing on historical issues; there are countless scholarly articles and UN resolutions which detail the legal and judicial basis of the right of return.…